White Chicks (12A)

The ViewLondon Review

A collection of the finest fart gags available to humanity: White Girls is something of a guilty pleasure - it's undeniably crass and stupid but it's also frequently hilarious.

Let-s get one thing clear - no-one goes to see a Wayans Brothers movie expecting sophisticated comedy and White Chicks is about as gleefully stupid as it's possible to be. Surprisingly, it's also incredibly funny: clearly the Wayanseses have honed the science of the fart gag into a fine art. At any rate, it's about fifty times better than their previous collaboration, Scary Movie 2, a film that was so bad that they were actually taken off the franchise. (Or, at any rate, were conspicuous by their absence on
Scary Movie 3).

Shawn and Marlon Wayans (third brother Keenen Ivory Wayans directs) star as Marcus and Kevin, two ambitious but unlucky FBI detectives, who fall foul of their boss by messing up a drugs bust in the opening scene. Desperate to redeem themselves, they are given the job of chaperoning the Wilson sisters (Anne Dudek and Maitland Ward), two high society debutantes - transparently modelled on Paris and Nicky Hilton - who are at the centre of a suspected kidnapping plot.

The Wilsons are meant to be attending an exclusive charity bash in the Hamptons, but due to a poodle-related cock-up, they sustain minor facial injuries and refuse to go. Fearful of losing their jobs, the boys do what anyone who's seen Some Like It Hot would do and disguise themselves as extremely unconvincing women in order to go deep undercover and investigate...

White Chicks is remarkably faithful to the plot of Some Like It Hot, even to the point of including a beach scene - Kevin finds himself pursued by a libidinous ball-player (Terry Crews) who won't take no for an answer, while Marcus has to switch between his male and female identities in order to romance a cute investigative reporter (Rochelle Aytes). Where White Chicks falls down is in its failure to make the dragged-up "girls" look remotely realistic - they look like total freaks. However, if you can suspend disbelief that far, there's a surprising amount to enjoy here.

Admittedly, how much you'll get out of White Chicks is directly proportional to how funny you find fart gags, but rest assured, these are the finest fart gags available to humanity: the obligatory "sudden attack of the shits in a crowded bathroom" scene is a classic of its kind. Other highlights include:
a hilarious "dance off" sequence; Kevin taking down a bag-snatcher; and a pair of highly amusing scenes set in the women's changing rooms. There are also several witty one-liners.

Both brothers are good, although Shawn is clearly the more talented (and
funnier) of the two. There's also strong support from both Terry Crews (who really milks his part for maximum laughs) and Busy Philipps (from Freaks & Geeks and Dawson's Creek), who is both surprisingly touching and very funny in her role as the girls' best friend.

In short, White Chicks definitely won't appeal to everyone, but if you're prepared to go along with the sheer stupidity of it all, there are more than enough laugh-out-loud moments to make it worthwhile - even if you hate yourself afterwards. The year's guiltiest pleasure so far. Recommended.